What are the dominating channels in the modern customer support arena? For almost everyone, the quick answer will be text-based channels. These include live chats, SMS, email, and social media platforms. While these chat-based customer support channels are today’s top highlights, phone calls can’t be overlooked. To facilitate effective omnichannel engagements, you must offer reliable phone calls.
One strategy that helps organizations offer this is voicemail, which brings us to phone greetings. You’ve invested in partners like Call Center Studio. You’ve also picked inventive solutions, including cloud call center software. So, now, how effective is your business phone greeting? These innovative solutions can only be delivered if they’re optimized. In the following, we’ll focus on phone greetings, a valuable asset for your voicemail service.
What Makes a Good Business Phone Greeting?
There are many tips for creating professional voicemail greetings. It doesn’t have to make the caller giggle if that bothers you. However, the phone greeting should trigger the right response. It needs to capture the caller, especially if they are disappointed that you are not immediately available. The most crucial part of an effective solution is to put yourself in the caller’s shoes. What would you like to know before leaving the voicemail? It can differ for every caller, but the basics apply to everyone. With that in mind, a good business phone greeting should:
- Set the right tone
- Be welcoming
- Clear
- Professional
A quick way to realize such an impact is first to identify your organization. This can be followed by a brief apology for missing the call. It should then offer clear and concise instructions for leaving the message. From here, you can build on to the voicemail, such as by including alternative ways to reach out if it’s an urgent matter. All these should be tied together using a friendly tone that assures the call will be returned immediately. Such phone greetings foster a sense of trust, which is the pinnacle of customer support. How about the professional touch?
How Can I Make My Voicemail Greeting Sound Professional?
You don’t want the phone greetings to sound so formal that they are a turn-off. You also don’t want to come out as if you hardly consider the voicemails. This makes it difficult to create professional voicemail greetings as you balance between formal and informal aspects.
The key tips for creating professional voicemail greetings are confidence and clarity. This means speaking confidently and clearly, which means introducing your business right away using a formal yet friendly tone. This eliminates friction, such as listening to long-winded options that feel almost like the customer is on hold.
For instance, casual language or humor may seem unique, but that could detract from professionalism. It could even distract the caller from their main objective. So, to keep it professional, you need to be informative but concise. This means:
- Quickly identifying yourself and apologizing for the missed call
- Concise explanation for why you are unreachable
- Inviting the caller to leave a message and their contact information so you can call them back
- Offer alternative contact options for urgent matters and other valuable information like business hours
- Thanking the caller adds a final touch of courtesy
Should I Include My Business Hours in the Voicemail Greeting?
Including business hours is a nice icing on the cake. Why? Well, for the same reasons you use such information to enrich your presence, such as for local SEO. It exudes your professionalism. Most of all, it adds to the assurance that you’ll return the call once your business reopens, say the next day.
The assurance means a frustrated customer, for example, who was calling to track an order, will likely wait. The alternative to that would be to go on a rampage, for instance, a rant on your social channels. This could easily taint your business’s reputation, a costly concern that could’ve been avoided by assuring the caller that they’ll hear back from you within the stated business hours.
All these sounds quite straightforward, right? It can be tricky, though, as you endeavor to freshen up your voicemail. Let’s dive into some voicemail greeting script ideas to get you started.
What Are Some Examples of Effective Business Phone Greetings?
Here are ten business voicemail greeting examples that have stood the test of time. They may sound too familiar, but they foster better engagements. At the end of the day, that’s what customer support is all about. That’s why more businesses continue to adopt these types of greetings. Each of these examples points to a specific strategy you can easily adopt.
1. The Professional and Friendly Approach
Hi there, you’ve reached [Business Name]. Sorry, we missed your call. Please leave a brief message and contact information, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.
2. Clear and Concise
Hello, this is [Business Name]. We’re unable to answer your call at the moment. Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling, and we’ll ensure to return your call within an hour [specify applicable timeframe]. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
3. Personalized Message
Thank you for calling [Business Company]. You’ve reached [Customer Support Name]. I’m currently away from the phone. Please leave a detailed message, and I’ll return your call (specify a time window, e.g. within a few hours).
4. Warm and Welcoming
Hi there! You’ve reached [Agent/Business Name]. I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now, but your message is important. Please leave your contact details and reason for calling, and I’ll return your call promptly.
5. Additional Resources
Hi, you’ve reached [Business Name]. If you’re calling about [specific issue or department], please press [appropriate option] now. Otherwise, please leave a detailed message, and I’ll respond soon.
6. Office Hours
Thank you for calling [Business Name]. Our office is currently closed, but your call is important. Please leave your message, and we’ll return your call when we reopen [provide office hours or next business day].
7. Alternative Contact Details
You’ve reached [Agent/Business Name]. I’m away from my desk right now. For urgent matters, please call [alternative phone number]. Otherwise, please leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
8. Emphasis on Customer Service
Thank you for calling [Business Name]. I’m currently assisting other customers or away from my desk. Please leave me a message with your name and number, and I’ll get back to you with the information you need.
9. Assurance Approach
Thank you for calling [Business Name]. We appreciate your call. Please leave your name and number, and we’ll return your call shortly. Have a great day!
10. Brief and Informative
You’ve reached [Business Name]. Unfortunately, we can’t answer the phone right now, but we value your call. Please leave your name, number, and message, and we’ll call you shortly.
The examples above are only a few options you can experiment with to find a solution that works best for your business. The best part is that you can even combine a few for a more comprehensive voicemail.
Modern customers expect immediate attention, making customer support more important than ever. While chat-based support offers many benefits, you shouldn’t ignore phone calls though it can be challenging to manage calls during uptick periods. This is where voicemails come in handy. Voicemails help you reach those callers you could not initially connect with, enhancing customer experience.
The best part is that you’ve notable Call Center Studio resources to help with your phone calls. You can pair voicemail with smart call routing, which enhances efficiency. You could also use the inventive IVR (interactive voice response), which enhances self-service experiences. It gets better! You can seamlessly integrate these solutions and scale up or down per your needs using cloud call center software.
